Summary:

For the second time in two centuries, the Avatar is lost. Asami Sato realizes she might once have met the Avatar in the far North, and a young woman named Korra begins to rebel against her guardians; the Red Lotus.

Notes:

This fic is a collaboration between Puffie (story and scenario building) and Sanctum-C (prose and editing) to rewrite Korra's story with alternate events in mind and an attempt to tap potential storylines that were not explored in canon. The most significant canon deviation is that Korra was successfully abducted by the Red Lotus. From there, this fanfic will also explore the changes to the world resulting with the disappearance of the Avatar after Aang.

The most important characters in this story will be Korra, Asami, Bolin and later on, Kuvira. Other The Legend of Korra characters like Mako, Tenzin, his family, Gaang descendants, and various villains may still play important roles. We aim to develop these characters and deepen relationships through different circumstances and choices from canon.

We know many of you are very interested on what ships will happen in the story, but we're only doing the relationship tags as they become relevant. Also since this is an alternate universe, the goal is to have different outcomes. Although friendships and personal development will be the main focus of this fanfic, romances will still happen, but what was in canon may not happen here - or at least not quite in the same way.

We might also take some liberties in re-writing some rules in the Avatarverse to suit our story.

Book 1: Healing

Chapter 4: First Meeting

"Hey."

Breathing was difficult. It did not feel like she was getting anywhere near enough air into her lungs with each wheezing breath. The air felt stale, cloying, warm. The wind was sluggish on her arms, almost like it was catching and sticking to her. She felt too warm and moving was too much effort. Something patted her side. She swiped at the sensation, her head, back, arms, legs all aching. Everything was in pain. It felt as if she had closed her eyes only moments ago in the dark and now the light was far too bright to open them.

"Hey you." The voice sounded angry. Korra opened her eyes a fraction, shielding them from the glare. Two strangers stared down at her, both scowling. Korra wiped at her eyes, trying to displace the gunk glued to her eyelids and winced. She stared down at the millions of tiny crystals adhering to her hand. What was this stuff?

"Finally awake, eh?" The woman did not pause as Korra's eyes streamed and she dabbed at her eyelids with the edge of her shirt. "What are you doing here? You look a bit too young to have been up all night drinking. And this early in the week too."

The man with her spoke up. "So you agree? She's probably just another unregistered immigrant, right?"

"Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. Hey." The woman nudged Korra with her boot. "You need to tell us some stuff sharpish. We need name, address if you've got one, or failing that, we need a look at your travel papers."

"Leave me alone," Korra muttered, scowling at them both.

"So you can speak," the woman said. "Listen. Don't take that tone of voice with me. I have the power to chuck you on the first boat headed who know's where but which is assuredly away from here. And ain't nothing you can do about it."

"'course," the man interjected. "You could wind up there anyway. If you ain't got documentation."

"So, show us your permit, or your immigration papers and we'll tell you to have a nice day."

"I'm not showing you anything," Korra said, trying to sit up, Naga mirroring her action.

"Hey, hey. We need your papers, ma'am." The woman put a sarcastic emphasis on the last word. "We also need your exotic pet ownership details for your, ah, pet there."

"I'm not doing anything wrong," Korra said, her head still throbbing. A parched throat and a hollow stomach seemed lesser concerns than if she had made the biggest mistake of her life yesterday.

"You kinda are. See this here beach you were, ah, sleeping on? This beach is part of Republic City. You live here? We don't care what you do - mostly. Sleep, live, party, grow cabbages? Knock yourself out. If you don't live here, well, then there's these really boring, but very important things called laws the tribes agreed on. Once of which is you don't get into this city without a passport and immigration papers."

"And if you don't have them, you get to go to the Refugee Centre. If you're lucky someone'll sponsor your immigration. Big if though. Chances are you'll be on the first ship headed some place else." The man had the trace of a smile on his lips.

Korra sighed. "Really? You expect me to play by your rules? I don't have time for this, I'm the A-." Her eyes widened and she cut herself off, ingrained control and behaviour kicking in. As much as she was sure Zaheer had kept things from her, she did not know how much of what he and the others had said was untrue. Were there evil leaders, watching, waiting for the Avatar to twist her to their own devices? That remained uncertain. For now; "Just leave me alone or I'll make you."

Both the strangers smirked. "Is that a threat?" The woman asked. "'Cause, you see, that's one of those other laws people are quite keen on. Resisting arrest is pretty bad."

"It sounded like a threat," the man added. "And if you do try fighting us, then you get to skip out on the Refugee Centre part and go straight to jail. And that's much less fun for you."

Korra smirked. "But only if you win. Right?"

"Well, yeah," The woman blinked, surprised. She broke into a smile. "But we can call for back-up if you get rowdy. As far as I can see, there's just you. So, one more time. You going to tell us your name, show us your papers or are you going to make things difficult for all of us?"

Korra hummed as she clapped her hands together and cracked her knuckles. "What am I going to do? Well..."

She opened with one of Ming's best moves, most effective against a small number of opponents. No need for crowd control here. Controlling a water tentacle had not been the easiest thing to learn. For her teacher the water was always part of her, it's movements and motions stemming from the impulses within herself. Ming had tried to open Korra's mind up to the same viewpoint, but there had always been a dissonance. The water sources Korra used were rarely right in front of her. Even when she formed limbs as her teacher could, it became easy to mix up her own with the liquid projections. Not that Ming ever tolerated that as an excuse; it was not as if her teacher relied only on her own watery limbs. Her footwork was often devastating, Korra too often focusing on the water rather than her opponent as a whole. Practice after practice had drilled the concepts and movements into Korra's mind. At least now it was second nature to funnel two whip like tendrils from the nearby sea and ensnare both stranger's ankles.

Their expressions of superiority and confidence vanished as she flicked up into the air. Korra winced as they fell; this was different to her teachers, different to the training dummies. These were real people and they were not landing on snow. The woman landed in an awkward heap on the beach some distance away, while the man smacked onto the raised area close by. He screamed in pain as he hit the ground, shouting out to his companion that his leg felt broken. The woman stumbled upright and moved away from her opponent. Korra felt a pang of guilt shoot through her but ignored it; she had won. Her first fight against an unfamiliar opponent and she had won in moments. Korra frowned. What was the woman doing? She caught fragments of a hasty speech made into a box. The woman looked back at Korra with panicked eyes, saying something about 'a water bender' and 'backup'.

"I've called for reinforcements," the woman yelled. "And an ambulance."

Her words were confusing, though the man looked relieved. He was still staring at her, his expression fearful. If nothing else the demonstration seemed to have worked. Both strangers remained distant and wary; Korra doubted she had much to fear from the one with the broken leg. An odd, repetitive sound became audible. What was that? Korra cast around trying to reconcile the acoustics. She noticed something heading towards them accompanied by blinking lights. The woman smirked.

"Ah, you're for it now," she called out. "We would have just detained you but now the cops are on the way. And you ain't got any chance against them. I hope they have metal benders with them."

Her words rankled, and Korra's first impulse was to stay and fight the approaching threat. No. This was not how she wanted to do things. Not after getting here. Zaheer's words came to her, unwanted, but relevant. There were stronger benders in the world than her teachers. And metal bending? Ghazan had never even mentioned if such a thing was possible. Everything she had learned suggested that such a thing was nigh on impossible; if there were those who could bend metal-. Korra shook her head; staying too was risky.

"Come on, girl," she said to Naga as she leapt onto the polar bear dog's back and flicked the reins. Naga ran forward, up off the beach and away from the approaching noises. Korra turned the polar bear dog down the first opening she found and turned once more as soon as possible, moving in a rough diagonal. Even as Naga ran, Korra stared at the new sights all around her. People. People everywhere. More people that she had ever seen in her life.

"Thirty million," she murmured. Her curiosity was almost enough to make her forget to direct Naga down the next turning. She forced herself to concentrate even as she stared at the people around her. A lot of them stared back in wonderment. Strange, loud boxy objects with people inside sped alongside her and past her. Were these the cars Asami had spoken of? The sound was like the noises Asami had made, and she could see they moved with speed. "Were they always that fast?" Korra let herself smile for a moment. This was the biggest step towards finding Asami since locating the research station. But there were other much less pleasant sights here. Things Asami had not mentioned. Children and adults with ragged clothes slumped at intervals, huddling out of the way of a persistent flow of people. The buildings all around them had cracks and broken windows.

This was not the halcyon world that Asami's words painted all those years ago. Had it changed over time or had it always been like this? How much had Asami's family life influenced her words; it was hard to imagine her coming from such conditions. How different might her words have been if she had originated from amongst these people? No. No it would not do to doubt Asami. Not now. Not after coming so far, after flouting so many rules. Both Asami and the monk wanted her to come to Republic City; this could not be all there was here. But likewise she could not just ignore what she was seeing. Odd lessons, and speeches about the evils of the outside world bubbled up out of memory. It was not different enough. Korra shook her head; she would come back later. She would make sure there were no more hungry children on the streets, no one without a home. If she was to be a force for good, then this was where she would start.

Her stomach growled, the gurgling accompanied by a twist in her abdomen. How long since she last ate anything? Too long. She glanced around, hoping that she had gone far enough to evade the 'backup'. No easy way to tell. The next available turning lead to a narrower path between two buildings; it felt more secluded. At least it was somewhere to pause and take stock of the situation. Korra pulled back on the reins and with nervous glances, slid from Naga's back. People and cars passed by the path; some glanced down it, staring at her for a moment as they walked but otherwise did not react. Most just ignored her. Korra sank to the ground, keeping a messy pile pile of junk between her and the milling populace. The air smelled foul, her nose wrinkling at the scent. At least it helped distract from the next rumble in her stomach.

Korra leant her head back and closed her eyes. Where was the monk? His words suggested he was the reason she had been able to get here, and the statue of him in the harbor confirmed he was famous in this city. Someone must be able to tell her where to find him; the thought gave her a shiver of excitement. She was so close now, even if she had no idea where she was. Maybe she should have tried to find Asami's house? No. The size of the statue meant it would be visible from a wide area - being able to see it was almost no help at all. The dark behind her eyes felt good, the wall uncomfortable, but she was too tired to care. The next thing she was aware of was Naga growling. Korra's eyes flew open; she had fallen asleep. There were men all around her, their leering gazes fixed on her, all smiling in an uncomfortable manner.

"Hey, how's about you come with us and party?" The one closest to her said, his words making his companions on either side of him start laughing.

"No thanks," Korra replied, frowning. Her head whipped from side to side, counting how many possible opponents she had. Ten.

"Ah, come on," another said. "We'll treat you nice. We're not like the others." His voice lowered. "We won't kill you after."

Naga growled, and as one of the men approached she lunged for him, her jaws fastened around his wrist. The man screamed in pain, and his companions retaliated. They were all fire benders, all shooting flames straight at the polar bear dog. Korra screamed in fury as fire flew through the air. She moved on reflex, the fire pliable in her hands as she caught it before it could splash onto Naga.

Bolin rolled his eyes. Mako still looked pensive even after what passed for a decent night's sleep. Sometime over the last day he picked up a new habit and brushed his hip pocket every few moments. Mako had not reacted well to Bolin's suggestion that he leave the locket at home, and pointed out anyone could break in and steal it. Bolin had to admit there was a possibility of that happening, but it still sounded preferable to Mako unable to focus on anything. And the constant checking to see if the necklace had somehow escaped his pocket in the last five seconds. The gang almost did not register as Bolin glanced down the alley - anything to avoid watching Mako fuss over his trinket. He looked back after a moment, his eyes widened at the sight; ten men were hemming in a water tribe girl and some unfamiliar large animal.

Bolin reached behind him, grabbing for Mako and pulled him against the wall.

"Hey-," Mako began as Bolin shushed him. "What's the big idea?" he asked in a quieter voice.

Bolin, peeked back around the corner. "There's a damsel in distress right over there," he said. Mako peered around the corner and stifled a gasp.

"Bolin; don't you know who they are? That's the Akai gang."

"So? She needs our help. And maybe we can talk to them. Criminal to criminal." He frowned. "I thought you were turning over a new leaf?"

Mako scowled. "It's not that simple. We can't just walk away from how we've survived." He peered around the corner again. "And them? They're not criminal like us. You must have heard some of the rumors by now."

"Wait, you mean-. Oh," Bolin gasped. He straightened up. "Well, now we really need to do something."

"No. It's very sad, but we will get ourselves toasted if we just wander up to them and tell them to leave her alone. Don't be a hero. Sure fire way to get yourself dead."

"You think they'd go that far?"

Mako tilted his head to one side considering. "Maybe. Maybe not. But Shin did tell me they burn the hands of their enemies. Burn them to the bone."

Bolin shivered and shook his head. "And so you're just going to leave her? Let them do whatever-."

The scream echoed down the alley and before he knew what he was doing, Bolin charged forward. His thoughts lagged a moment behind his impulses and after a moment he realized the scream had not been fear or pain; it had been fury. The gang looked on bewildered as the girl flung fire at them. The fire benders panicked as their flames splashed back onto them, their stances shifting. The girl did not miss a beat. She kept herself between her attackers and the animal as she punched fireball after fireball at the gang. They retaliated in kind, accompanied by insults, threats and obscenities.

Bolin stamped down onto the ground, directing the force down and forward. A surge of earth burst upwards, blocking the girl off from the gang. She stared at the obstacle in confusion as Mako ran past Bolin, reaching for girl's hand. She snapped it back back, retreating a step and blasting a new ball of fire into his torso. Mako stumbled backwards, his fingers plucking at his clothes and evaporating the fire.

"What's the big idea?" he snapped. "We're trying to help you."

"I don't need your help." A gang member rounded the earth wall and the girl punched another fireball at him; he ducked back to safety. "I can handle this on my own." She was clenching her teeth as she caught another volley of fire and returned it.

"Okay. You can handle yourself. But at this rate you're going to set this whole block on fire." The girl paused for a moment, her gaze flicking to him. "You want your pet to burn?" Mako asked in a quieter voice.

The girl whirled around, her eyes widening as she grabbed for the flaming bag on the back of her pet. The strange animal whimpered, its head darting all around as the flames crackled around them. Bolin sent another wave of earth towards the gang. "I've never seen a pet quite like yours," he commented. The girl just stared at him.

"Come on. Before they regroup, or the cops get here, or the whole place comes crashing down." Mako caught her hand and this time she let him take hold of it. He pulled and she ran with him, darting down the alley and away from the fire. Bolin hurried after them, the girl's pet keeping pace with her master. A few blocks distant, Mako let the girl's hand drop and rounded on her. "What do you think you're doing walking around this part of town on your own?"

The girl blinked, her expression darkening. "And you are? What do you want with me?" She still sounded angry.

Bolin moved to intervene. "Easy there Mako. Easy. Let's all just calm down. She's probably just traumatized by the attack." He smiled as he glanced between them. "Let's give her some space."

"She almost got herself killed. Or worse," Mako replied.

"'She' is standing right here," the girl interjected, glaring at both of them. "Don't ever talk about me as if I'm not here."

"Sorry, sorry," Bolin said, Mako apologizing a moment later. "We're just concerned for you."

"I can take care of myself," the girl said. "What is this place like anyway? I only arrived this morning, get woken up by people demanding things. Then I rest for a few moments before those fire benders show up. How do you live like this?"

"Mako," Bolin said, elongating the 'o'. "She's new in town. She doesn't know how things are. She wouldn't be here if she knew her way around. Y'know. It's kinda like all the mistakes we made when we were younger. And we had mom and dad. And us being male, and-."

"And 'she' is going to remind you that 'she' hates being spoken about like that," the girl snapped. Bolin winced.

"Is that true though?" Mako asked. The girl stayed silent. "You came here on your own? No one else with you? No luggage or anything? Anyone meeting you here? Anyone you're supposed to meet?"

The girl shifted, her posture relaxing a little. "I swam here with Naga." Her hand brushed the polar bear dog's flank as she spoke. "There's..." She frowned. "I don't have family here, but there's two people I need to find." She blinked, frowning again. "And it's none of your business. No more questions."

Mako looked frustrated. "The least you could do is say thank you."

"Thank you for interrupting a fight I had completely under control," the girl replied with a sarcastic tone.

"Fine. Do it your way. But if you want an easier time here, don't use the alleys, don't wander the streets at night, and don't trust people until you know them."

"Okay." The girl smirked. "I'll start by not trusting you."

Mako growled and threw up his hands. He took a deep breath. "I guess I walked into that one. But if you do want one bit of advice; go find the Sato shelters. They only admit women. They're the safest place for you to stay overnight if you don't have anywhere else. C'mon, Bolin."

Mako turned away but Bolin did not budge. "Mako," he said, still looking at the girl. "You know those shelters are the other side of the city. She's new here. How is she ever going to find them? And she's going to attract all kinds of attention dressed like that."

"Look; Bolin is it? Talk to me if you want to talk to me, don't talk to him. And what do you mean 'dressed like that?" the girl asked. Bolin flushed and gestured to her chest. There was a ragged, charred hole in her top, exposing the bandages wrapped around her torso. The girl looked down, confused. She blinked and stared back at him. "So? I don't get what the problem is. I'll be fine on my own. I'll find these shelters. If they really do exist."

Her voice never wavered, but she had bags under her eyes and soot coated her skin. Bolin cleared his throat.

"Hey, um, hi?" She stared at him without blinking, and wow her eyes were pretty. "We, we, we." He coughed. "We just wanted to help you." Voice an octave too high there. "We're not bad guys, I promise." Better. "You look tired. And when was the last time you ate anything?"

Behind him Mako sighed. "Bolin-," he began.

"I..." the girl trailed off, her expression softening.

"So. I think food is the first order of business. Our house isn't far from here, and I don't like to brag, but I'm a pretty awesome cook. My noodles are to die for."

Mako smirked. "Possibly a bit of hyperbole, but they are pretty good."

"See? Even my brother appreciates my cooking." The girl's stomach gurgled and Bolin smiled. "I think that settles the argument," he said, folding his arms. "Oh." He held his hand out. "I'm Bolin."

"Yeah, I kinda picked up on that," the girl replied, a ghost of a smile appearing as she shook his hand. Bolin felt his cheeks burn as he laughed and turned to his brother. "Mako, introduce yourself."

Mako mimicked Bolin's introduction and shook the girl's hand. "Care to tell us your name?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, her eyes flicking to either side as one finger scratched at her cheek. She shook herself after a moment. "I'm Korra."

Something was wrong. The guards were tense in a different way to normal as Zaheer passed them. They shifted their feet, their gazes avoiding his. He wasted no time with them, quickening his pace, Ming and P'li following in his wake. Ghazan sprang to his feet at his approach, but Zaheer spoke before he could open his mouth.

"Korra has escaped." It was not a question.

Ghazan scowled and nodded. "No one saw her go. We're not sure how long - she didn't answer when we knocked on her door just before dawn."

Zaheer let out a sigh. "And her… pet?"

"Gone too. We've searched the compound and the surrounding area. It's possible she just got out to explore and got waylaid."

"No," Zaheer said, staring up at the still visible moon. "No, she has escaped us."

Ghazan stared at him looking worried. "I apologise for my negligence," he said, bowing.

Zaheer shook his head. "It is unnecessary. No amount of apologies or punishments will alter the situation. It is problematic, but we must adapt as best we can. This was a circumstance beyond out control."

There is a low muttering behind him, and a snap in the air. The guards nearby let out strangled yelps as neck deep ice encased them. Zaheer turned, raising an eyebrow at Ming.

"Just because you're fine with what happened, doesn't mean you should let this lot off for incompetence," she sneered.

"This does not help us, Ming."

"No, but we cannot just let them be. Punishment is necessary. And you," she glared at Ghazan. "You were supposed to be keeping a better eye on her.

"Just try it Ming," he replied, shifting his stance, ready to retaliate.

"Enough," Zaheer said with force. "As I said, there is nothing we can do about the events that have transpired. Now we must adapt to a change in circumstance."

"'A change in circumstance'?" Ming exclaimed. "Fourteen years of baby-sitting the Avatar and she wanders off right before she was ready? That's what you consider a change in circumstance? You realize we've lost everything."

"I feel this is a collective failure," P'li added. She glanced at each them in turn. "We gave her too much freedom. We trusted her too easily. We should never have lowered our guard."

Zaheer turned to her, his hand cupping her cheek. "As I said before, what is past is now past. We cannot dwell on our failings in this matter. I too bear responsibility for this outcome. My last conversation with Korra..." He shook his head. "We must look forward. This is not the end; as long as the Red Lotus endures, as long as the Avatar survives, we will not concede defeat."

"And if she should die?" Ming asked.

"We begin again the next Avatar. But until that time we will work to locate Korra."

Ghazan spoke up. "But she could be anywhere by now. We don't know if she found the Northern Water Tribe or reached the Fire Nation. She might have gotten as far as the Earth Kingdom or Republic City."

"Many possible paths... I need time to meditate. Inform the other Red Lotus members - all of them. We will find her. For now, patience," Zaheer said.

"Easy for you to say," Ming sneered. "And just what are we supposed to do in the mean-time?"

"Search again. Look for any trace, any hint of her destination or her escape route."

Zaheer strode away, seeking the privacy of his own chamber. What had lead to Korra's actions? Was it connected to the tension in their fight before? Or was it an aspect of the Avatar they were unaware of? Had her past lives made contact? Zaheer shook his head; he had been specific and cautious about what Korra had learned. She should have been unable to reach the correct mental state, or even come close to it. No. This did not help. He was focussing on the past once again. It was of paramount importance that he deduce Korra's destination and locate her before the White Lotus could. Before the situation became more complicated.

To all reviewers: Thank you so much! :D

Kailyr

Wow, this is fantastic. I love it! The writing is superb and the plot is beyond an interesting take, good job so far guys.

RE: Thank you! Your reviews inspire us to improve our work :)

Kradeiz

So far, so good. It's both cool and kinda surreal to have characters from all four books in the council meeting, especially Tarrlok –skip-

I am wondering how Unalaq plays into all this, since in canon he was involved in the kidnapping attempt on Korra, even if he escaped blame. Though I could definitely see him using Tonraq's grief to "make amends" and manipulate him, but I hope your version of him is more interesting than the canon.

-skip-

Bolin seems a fair bit smarter here too, whether because of the AU itself or because more time on the streets had an effect on him, it's nice to see. He had a lot of potential for growth that the show never really cashed in on.

RE: Hello Kradeiz, nice to meet you here! Thank you for checking out our fic and for the very thoughtful review. Hmm about Unalaq, since this is an AU, things will happen differently. We have also written this fic to have an overarching plot until Book 3 so some Book 1 plots will serve as a build-up for things that will happen much, much later.

But I can assure you we have great plans for Bolin.

jeku

I am glad that you are(or seem to be (lol)) giving Asami a bigger role. She was very under used in the show. It will be quite fun to see how you'll be developing Korra's relationships with all characters considering her upbringing in this AU.

And lastly, will we be enjoying Amon's public speeches at some point? :P

RE: Thank you for the review! Asami is a main character and will be treated as such in this fic. We have great plans for her.

As for Amon, it depends if the same conflicts will still happen but you'll get a greater picture of the situation of the world in the following chapters.

Anne

Interesting Story! Loved how Asami and Korra first met. I can only imagine how strong Korra would be being trained by the Red Lotus.

RE: Thank you! :)

Skittymon

Nooooo! Why would you make Bolin and Mako mug Asami D: My poor Team Avatar heart just got shattered (does that mean the fire furrets don't exist or is this prior to their probending profession?).

My question got answered xD I'm glad you included Izumi and Suyin (so Lin and her have a okay relationship now or was Suyin just picked to be the representative because she's the leader of Zaofu?).

RE: Things happened differently in this AU *laughs* About Lin and Suyin since this is an AU all that 30 years of no talking didn't happen. Let's just say they're sisters who chose to live different lives. Suyin is the representative of Zaofu yes. The sisters will still play some role in this fanfic but as they received so much focus in the series we don't intend to do the same here.

Dreamer

This is really good. I like the idea you (or one of the others) had with Asami's necklace as well as letting us know early on about a bunch of other characters. I can't help but have a feeling that Bolin's story was a little more than just that...but I don't think all of it will ring true the story is a living, breathing thing after all...(SPOILER(for those who have not read chapter three)): but it does seem to be foreshadowing considering the little snipit about a "water-bending migrant attacking the water patrol..."

It's just my hunch though, I will let you spin your tale...or give it room to set it's own course...whichever you prefer.

RE: Oh it's great to have you notice a little detail like that! I'd love to see more of your reviews and theories in the future :)